Shouldn't Have Said Anything
by Belle's Noir
Summary: Every child is told 'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all'. No one realises how valuable this advice is until it's too late. An attempt at Ginny bashing. Little bit humorous but mostly just 'cause the girl annoyed me as well as the people who bash her without style. Let's see if I've got it.


_ Hello all! Missed me? God knows I've been gone long enough. Y'know it seems that the more people who like my stories, the more people hate them as well. I'm not having much luck with flamers but they're getting easier to ignore. Anyway. This story is basically an experiment. Lots of people bash Ginny and I'm all for it, the fangirl in me hates her, but a lot of the bashing comes across as unrealistic. It seems rare to find a sensible one were her actions aren't completely extreme so this is my attempt at it. Let me know how I do, kay? Also this did not start out as slash, it was supposed to be a no pairing but hey, when a Slytherin wants something they do tend to get it and Theo could not be denied =P_

_ Much love to the regular read/review-ers. One day I'm gonna try and keep track of who does it most so I can do the occasional shout out._

_ Love Hanna xx_

_**Can't knock em out, can't walk away,**  
**Try desperately to think of the politest way to say,**  
**Just get out my face, just leave me alone,**  
**And no you can't have my number,**  
**"Why?"**  
**Because I've lost my phone.**  
_

Harry's eyes went wide as Ginny literally threw herself at him. He just walked through the doors into the Great Hall and now he had an armful of writhing redhead. It was only as he felt a tongue _that wasn't his_ in his mouth did his mind catch up. He ripped his mouth away from the girl and pushed her back.

"Ginny! What in God's name do you think you're doing?"

Ginny giggled coyly, the blush that stained her cheeks would probably be considered attractive by any other red blooded male.

"Harry, you know I like you and the war is over. You know you can have a normal life now and do normal things, like have a girlfriend. I got sick of just waiting for you and decided to do something about it."

Harry just stared at the girl, completely oblivious to the entire student body watching them from their places at the house tables. Contrary to what Ginny had just said Harry had not known she liked him. In fact he thought she'd gotten over that crush back in his third year. It was actually sort of disturbing that she hadn't.

When he'd first found out about her crush, back before his second year, he'd just rolled his eyes and tried to ignore it. She was a young girl and it was understandable that she'd gone a bit starry-eyed over the legend of the Boy-Who-Lived, just like Hermione had done when she met Lockhart. But Harry had honestly thought she'd gotten over it.

That crush had started before he'd even said two words to the girl. The only time he'd met her before he was whisked away to the Burrow was the year before at King's Cross Station, he'd swear on his _Firebolt_, he'd done nothing more than smile politely at her. How could she possibly still be feeling a preteen crush that was based on _that_?

Harry didn't know what to say other than… "Ewww."

Ginny's mouth, and the mouths of almost every other person in the room, dropped open at the sound of disgust he'd made. Suddenly she didn't look too sure of herself.

"Wha…Harry?"

"Ginny, how could you possibly think I'd want to date you?"

Ginny's eyes blazed with fury as Harry quickly realised just what he'd said. He rushed to explain himself before he was on the receiving end of one of her bat bogie hexes.

"I don't mean it like that, Gin. You know you're a pretty girl. But…" He didn't know how to explain himself in a way that wouldn't get him killed by her older brothers and her humiliated in front of the rest of the school. Well, too humiliated, he couldn't perform miracles. "You've seen the pictures of my mother, haven't you?"

Slowly she nodded and Harry felt himself relax slightly.

"You do know how much you look like her, don't you? You're not spitting image or anything but you have the same hair colour, same build, similar features. It wouldn't be surprising if you were related. You know this, don't you?"

"Yes, Harry." She said, somewhat impatiently. Harry was almost annoyed, it was her feelings he was trying to spare here though he could understand how embarrassing this would be for her, he'd want to get it over with if he was being rejected so publicly. But then again that was her own fault as well; she shouldn't have kissed him so publicly.

The Slytherin part of his mind hissed that she'd wanted the whole school to see her secure the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry mentally sighed, that part of himself was normally right.

"Ginny, how could you possibly think I'd want to be romantically involved with someone that looked like my mother?"

The fury in her eyes didn't completely go away but it did lessen which was better than nothing though Harry was rather worried at the determination which had entered them.

"Oh, Harry." She said with a chuckle that was probably supposed to be light but just came out forced. "I don't look _that_ much like her."

Again, Harry just stared at her. Was she serious? Was she really that desperate? Well no, he knew she wasn't, she'd had four boyfriends this year that he knew of. She never had trouble finding a new one; she wasn't desperate for a boyfriend. She was just desperate for him, which was really rather sad. And exasperating. As you could hear from the tone of his voice.

"Ginny, it doesn't matter if you think you 'don't look _that_ much like her' or not. It doesn't even matter if the similarities are only in my head. To me, you look like my _mother_. I am never going to be attracted to you. That would be gross and wrong on so many levels."

"But Harry-"

"No. Never. Not in a million years are we happening, Ginny." His voice was hard and somewhat cold now. He'd given her a reason for not liking her that would have enabled her to walk away with her head held high. Her humiliation was her own fault now. "You. Look. Like. My. _Mother_."

"Oh, how would you even know?" Ginny snapped, putting her hands on her hips in a pose strong reminiscent of her own mother. "It's not like you _really_ know what she looks like."

Harry recoiled as though he'd been slapped. _That_ was a low blow. Despite himself, he felt his eyes begin to tear up. Talking about his parents had never really been difficult before. He'd been so young when they were killed and how can you truly miss what you've never had? And Ginny was sort of right. He didn't even see a picture of his mother until the end of his first year. Wizarding photos may move but they still couldn't even compare to the real thing.

But then he'd walked into the forest with the Resurrection Stone. He'd seen them. He'd truly met his parents for the first time and now, knowing he could - should – never see them again. It hurt. He'd gotten a glimpse of his parents but a glimpse wasn't really enough. It never could be and that _hurt_.

"You petty little bitch." Hissed a voice from directly behind Harry. He didn't even need to turn to know who it was. "He was trying to spare your feelings but you just had to keep pushing didn't you?"

Ginny's mouth dropped open at the interruption but it was quickly covered by a raised eyebrow and a dismissive shake of her hair.

"I'm sorry," She said condescendingly. "But this really has nothing to do with you."

"This has everything to do with me, you vapid little tart." Theo hissed again as he moved to stand next to Harry. "You really had to do this in the Great Hall, didn't you? You wanted the whole school to see you lay claim to the Boy-Who-Lived. You're a pathetic, gold-digging glory-hound and you've just shown your true colours to the whole school with that comment. No doubt it'll be in the papers tomorrow. No one will want to be associated with you now. You've just ruined your life with those words."

Harry didn't look at anyone as he was gently pulled from the room, he could hear the whispers behind him, the speculation.

_Since when was Harry Potter friends with a Slytherin?_

Theo's arms were secure around him as they made their way onto the school grounds. Within minutes they were hidden from view behind the hanging branches of a willow tree.

Harry snuggled comfortably on his boyfriend's lap. He knew that most people would think he was being over dramatic and he could see where they were coming from but they didn't have all the facts. Harry had told no one of the Resurrection Stone. No one except Theo.

Theo himself didn't say anything. He knew his boyfriend was grieving for the life he'd never known so he was content to just hold him while Harry calmed the emotions that were raging around him. They sat there for hours. The silence only broken with the occasional sniffle or whisper of love.

Ginny Weasley sobbed dramatically into her pillow, mourning the relationship she was convinced she'd have had if she'd just waited. She didn't give a thought to the far reaching consequences of her words and actions. Despite the war she had lived through, she was still too young to imagine the kind of effects her moment of cruelty would have.

If she hadn't been so lost to her own misery she might have noticed that no one was there to comfort her. Not even Hermione who should have been there simply out of duty as her soon to be sister-in-law.

But she didn't notice. Ginny Weasley was too busy crying and trying to think of what to do next. She knew she'd have to apologise to Harry, it might take a while but the Boy-Who-Lived would eventually forgive her. Especially with Ron encouraging him to bury the hatchet and Hermione as well even if it was just out of loyalty to Ron.

Ginny did have foresight even to realise that Ron was probably quite annoyed with her too but she figured that a flash of puppy dog eyes and maybe a few tears and she'd be forgiven, after all she was his baby sister. She was family.

This was just the start of were Ginny Weasley was wrong. Ron was not just annoyed. He was furious. He'd never been angrier with anyone except Bellatrix Lestrange at Malfoy Manor.

Ron knew that he could be thoughtless sometime but one thing he understood completely was how much Harry missed out on, how much he hated being an orphan. He hadn't always understood, he couldn't have but he realised eventually. It was during fourth year, when he and Harry were clearing the air after their falling out.

Harry, in an effort to make his friend truly understand, had fully explained the Mirror of Erised and everything that had happened that first Christmas at Hogwarts. He talked of what it was like seeing his parents' faces for the first time, how he hadn't even known who they were at first, of Dumbledore's warning that the mirror could drive people mad and finally the nightmares that had plagued him for months afterwards. That was when Ron knew he didn't have anything to really be jealous of; he had the better end of the deal.

He couldn't believe his little sister could be so cruel and neither could Hermione who had enough empathy for the both of them. She knew without being told just how much Harry missed having parents.

They'd cool down eventually though. Maybe, when Ginny realised just how out of order she was, they'd forgive her completely. She was family after all.

Harry, however, would never speak to her again. Not really at least. He knew there would be time when he would have to speak to her, Ron and Hermione's wedding for example, but he would be polite and distant, almost formal, and that would be it. They weren't friends anymore.

And sadly enough, that was actually what Harry had considered her. A friend. God knows he hadn't had many of them in his life.

It was probably that friendship that had spared Ginny a concussion. If someone Harry didn't know or like had spoken of his mother that way then there was nothing on this earth that could have prevented his magic lashing out and probably with near fatal consequences.

Ginny's life hadn't been completely ruined with her rash actions but it would be a hard life for several years. She didn't have any experience with the press, she didn't know that just because she was no longer being printed about didn't mean the storm had passed. She didn't know reporters would still be watching and listening for anything else they could use to crucify her. It took almost a year for Ginny to learn to keep her head down until she was truly forgotten.

But in the end it wasn't the verbal abuse she suffered from the papers or her peers that made her regret her actions. It wasn't the dressing down she took from every member of her family. It wasn't the fact it took them months to look at her without shame or disgust. It wasn't even the fact that she couldn't get a decent job for years. It was the fact that, except when it was unavoidable, Harry really didn't speak to her again and she'd lost one of the best friends she never really knew she had.

**_Go away now, let me go,  
Are you stupid? Or just a little slow?  
Go away now I've made myself clear,  
Nah it's not gonna happen,  
Not in a a million years,_**

_**Can't knock em out, can't walk away,  
Try desperately to think of the politest way to say,  
Just get out my face, just leave me alone,  
And no you can't have my number,  
"Why?"  
Because I've lost my phone.**_

**__**Review


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